Cuisine: Country-Fried Pork Chops

This recipe was created for The S. Kitchen presents...A Very Mary Queer Year. Pork is considered a very lucky food in cultures around the world. Normally it is a ham or pork shoulder or some other large piece of meat. This is my reinterpretation of traditional pork chops pounded, battered, and fried.

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Ingredients:
4 lbs boneless pork chops about 1/2 inch thick
Jason's Zesty Spice Rub
corn starch
2 cups buttermilk
4 egg yolks
saltines or water crackers, crushed fine
lard
butter
1 onion, diced
2 - 4 TBSP flour
milk
pepper
salt

Directions:
Sprinkle Jason's Zesty Spice Rub over both sides of each pork chop. Place in refrigerator over night.

Take pork chops out of refrigerator and pound with a meat tenderizer until 1/4 inch thick. Cut pork chops in half.

Set up a dredging station: one container with cornstarch, one container with buttermilk whisked with egg yolks, one container with crushed crackers. Dip the pork chop in the cornstarch making sure to coat both sides fully. Then dip in buttermilk mixture. Finally dredge in crushed crackers. Set on wire rack and let rest for about 5 minutes.

Heat lard and butter (in equal measures) in a cast iron skillet until melted. Liquid lard and butter should be about 1/4 inch deep. Place pork chop in hot fat and fry for four minutes per side. Place in a 200 degree oven to keep warm until all pork chops are fried.

Add about 2 to 4 tablespoons of flour to the drippings and fat. Fry the flour for about 3 to 5 minutes (Flour should be completely incorporated into the oil and not yet brown.) Add the diced onion and fry for about 5 minutes. Add a pinch or two of Jason's Zesty Spice Rub. Add all of the buttermilk used in the dredging and bring to a simmer. Add milk until slightly runnier than the gravy thickness you prefer. Bring to a simmer and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat.

Serve pork chops smothered in gravy and enjoy!